Manuel Rosa at the Columbus Day event at the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences. (Photo by Aleksandra Slabisz via Nowy Dziennik)

Christopher Columbus was not a simple wool-weaver from Genoa, as is commonly believed. He was a son of a Polish king and a Portuguese noblewoman the king met when on secret exile. Such is the thesis of Manuel Rosa, who has spent the last 23 years researching the life and history of the Discoverer of America.

In the time he has devoted to the search and analysis of historical documents, letters and all other kinds of records devoted to the life of Christopher Columbus – found in Portugal, Spain, the Dominican Republic and Poland – Portuguese-American researcher Manual Rosa has managed to unearth unknown facts. Among others, Mr. Rosa discovered that Columbus never used Italian, even in letters addressed to his brothers, which according to the researcher indicates that he was not Italian; if Columbus had been a simple peasant, as the history books portray him, he wouldn’t have had as much access to several monarchs.

According to Mr. Rosa’s research, all indicates that Christopher Columbus was “a son of a Portuguese noblewoman and a mysterious Henrique Alemao.” The latter was no other than Polish King Wladyslaw III, who didn’t die at the battle of Varna in 1444, as is commonly believed. According to Manuel Rosa, King Wladyslaw III sought exile on the Portuguese island of Madeira, where he settled down with a Portuguese wife and kept his true identity secret.

(Image via Nowy Dziennik)

The vast research and studies Mr. Rosa devoted to the life of Christopher Columbus resulted in the publication of five books, first in Portuguese in 2006, then in Spanish, Lithuanian and Polish (“Kolumb. Historia nieznana,” 2012). The Polish edition of the book sold 5,000 copies.

Mr. Rosa also talked about the Polish and Portuguese roots of Christopher Columbus in New York on Oct. 13, the day observed as Columbus Day, at an event at the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences (PIASA) and organized by the Polish-American Business Club with the support of PIASA and the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union.

“I read the book two years ago and I am glad I could come to the event to meet the author in person,” said Tom Naklicki, one of the participants at the Monday event. “I highly recommend the book to everybody. It reads well and contains a lot of facts unknown to the Polish reader. I am not fully convinced as to the revelation that Columbus is an offspring of King Wladyslaw III, however, the first part of the book is extremely convincing,” Mr. Naklicki added.

His theory about the Polish-Portuguese roots of Christopher Columbus could be confirmed by DNA testing. However the test is very costly and requires gathering a sizable group of experts. Another problem that Mr. Rosa faces is opposition from many historians, who have been contradicting his theories. “Many historians discounted my work without taking the trouble to open the book, read it and analyze the evidence I provide,” said Mr. Rosa. “If they think I am wrong, I want them to tell me where I am wrong,” he added.

“These are the problems facing everybody who uncovers the truth these days. Poles know how it is. It took so many years to unearth the story about the Katyn massacre. Here we are talking about a story from over 500 years,” said another participant at the event, Grzegorz Fryc. “He [Mr. Rosa] has set out on a very noble yet extremely difficult mission. If he succeeds, history will have to be rewritten,” he added.

“It is extremely hard to interpret such distant history. However, I believe that sooner or later, the truth comes out. Poles know it the best. It will take a lot of open-minded people and scientists, who will take time to read and analyze Mr. Rosa’s research and assess it objectively,” said Paulina Kusiak, who thought that Mr. Rosa’s presentation at PIASA was “eye opening and incredible”.

Many who attended the event were impressed by Mr. Rosa’s research. “It was an immensely interesting presentation. Mr. Rosa knows what he is talking about, he has everything logically laid out and supported with huge knowledge. He has read 3,000 books on the topic and it shows,” Mr. Fryc added.

Headquartered in the back of a small supermarket in Dalton, GA, the Coalición de Líderes Latinos de Georgia (CLILA) has served the area’s Hispanic community for 13 years, Mundo Hispánico reports. CLILA offers English and citizenship classes and DACA application help, among other legal and community services. The coalition was founded in 2006 by Mexican immigrant América Gruner, who sought to mobilize the area’s large Hispanic population (mostly working in the carpet industry) against anti-immigrant measures but found that many were not eligible to vote because they didn’t apply for citizenship, or didn’t speak the language. Link to original story →

The number of Puerto Rican women receiving benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) dropped by 43 percent in the past five years, El Vocero reports. The numbers reflect a childbirth drop partially caused by the Zika virus scare, during which many women avoided pregnancy, but the main cause is the mass emigration of young families away from the island. The decrease in the federal program of recipients has also hit businesses that provide WIC-funded foods: 18 percent of them have closed, and the rest have been forced to diversify their operations. Link to original story →

An investigation by El Nuevo Día shows the “extreme decay” of San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital, as the municipal government reduced its contractual commitments almost by half compared to 2013. As residents complain of crumbling roads, criminality and lack of cleaning services, the city has had a population loss of more than 90,000 residents in the past 10 years. The loss in municipal income has resulted in a $183 million debt in spite of a $73 million budget cut. The problem is exacerbated by non-payments the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico and the city’s difficulties in borrowing money. Link to original story →

Pro-immigrant organizations in Georgia expressed relief and surprise as Republican Gov. Brian Kemp emerged as an unlikely ally this week, Mundo Hispánico reports. Kemp abolished a board investigating immigration law violations which has been accused of illegally harassing immigrant communities. Kemp also vetoed the SB15 bill, requiring Georgia schools to investigate students for “suspicious activities” and create “school safety coaches,” which activists feared would target minority youths. “This is definitely a victory for us,” said Adelina Nicholls, of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR). “You have your ups and downs but this triumph motivates us to keep going.”
Link to original story →